Maps
Marlow Slipway, left bank below bridge, St Peter Street
35 Frith photos of Marlow The Marlow Society.
Marlow Regatta (before 2000)
Marlow Regatta (at Dorney)
Marlow Town Regatta
Marlow Slipway, St Peter's Road, left bank below bridge
Map: Marlow Bridge
1227: It
is said that there was a bridge at Marlow
1309: The Knights Templar of Bisham owned a bridge. Letters patent
issued to Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford,
for the repair of ‘your’ bridge which is decayed and broken.
For four years he could take a penny toll of
all vessels passing under the bridge laden with goods of value exceeding 40s.
1353: a 3d. toll
1399: Repairs to be overseen by the Prior of Bustleham.
1530: Leland "a bridge of Timbre"
1610: Camden -
... where the Tamis glideth at the foote of those hilles with a winding course, standeth Marlow, a prety town of no meane credite, taking name of the said chalke commonly termed Marle, which being spred upon corne ground eaten out of heart with long tillage doth quicken the same againe, so as that after one yeeres rest it never lieth fallow, but yeeldeth againe unto the husband man his seed in plentifully measure.
1642: Bridge partly destroyed by Major General Brown of the Parliamentary
Army.
1679:-
Brave doings at Marlow (Elections), where a stout bargeman duckt Sir Henry Wynch so under water that all cried to save him.
Marlow Bridge (said to be the pre 1789 bridge) engraved by J. Greig from a drawing by T. Powell -
Marlow Bridge engraved by J. Greig from a drawing by T. Powell
1786: Old bridge causing concern
1788: A new bridge to be built by public subscription
1789: A new Bridge opened. It was of timber.
The bargemasters said of the old bridge “the
present navigable arch by being too low greatly impedes navigation”
So the Commissioners subscribed £50 towards adding 18” to the height!
Fred Thacker suspected that this was really a rebuild using the same materials.
1792: Old Marlow Bridge in Picturesque Views of the Thames by Samuel Ireland -
... the town of Marlow, considered as a picturesque object, receives much addition from the New Bridge, which is of wood, and has been recently finished at an expence of about eighteen hundred pounds. It has a remarkable ascent, and forms the best object as a wooden bridge, that I remember to have seen. The ballustrades are painted white, in imitation of stone-work ; and the whole scenery contiguous is pleasingly variegated by the rich verdure of the adjacent woods.
Marlow Bridge, Samuel Ireland, 1792
That is the old church, demolished in 1832
1797: Marlow Bridge engraved by J Walker -
1797: Marlow Bridge engraved by J Walker
1811: Marlow Bridge -
Marlow Bridge and Church, 1811
1814: Marlow Bridge -
Marlow Bridge and Church, 1814
1828: The New Monthly Magazine - A court case -
The long pending cause respecting the repairs of Marlow bridge,
which was lately decided in the King's Bench, has given rise to much discussion.
The gist of the case is briefly this:—
The bridge across the Thames at Great Marlow having fallen into a state of decay,
so as to make the passage of it in a degree dangerous to the public, divers bills of
indictment had been preferred at different Quarter Sessions for Buckinghamshire,
in order to compel the county to repair that portion of it which lies within it ;
they were, however, as often thrown out by the grand jury;
and the inhabitants of Marlow then thought fit to move the Court of King's Bench for an information,
in order to bring to issue the question, as to whether the county or themselves were bound to repair.
This motion came on for trial before the Chief-Justice and a Middlesex special jury,
who, after a few minutes'consultation, returned a verdict for the crown,
thereby deciding that it belongs to the county of Buckingham to provide
and keep up a safe and proper bridge over the Thames at Marlow,
for the use of the public, so far as the same lies within that county ;
the county of Berks, pari ratione, being liable to keep up so much of it as lies within that county.
1828: Another bridge was planned a little above the site of the second bridge -
We found the second bridge in such a worn out state and tottering condition that to repair it it must be made nearly new. If the expense is not too great a stone bridge of five elliptical arches would be the most eligible, for there would not only be a grand entrance thrown open to the town on the Buckinghamshire side, but a great improvement in the road on the Berks side.
1829: a Tour on the Banks of the Thames, Autumn, 1829 -
Marlow, till very lately, had communication with the opposite shore by means of a wooden bridge,
erected by subscription; it had one of a similar kind as early as the reign of Edward the Third;
a suspension bridge of iron was in progress at the time the author visited the place,
which has since been finished and opened to the public.
It is a very handsome affair, and is highly ornamental as well as useful to the town from which it takes its name.
1832:
Marlow Suspension Bridge
by
William Tierney Clark FRS MICE 1783 – 1852
Opened in September 1832
This bridge and the Szechenyi Chain Bridge
Linking Buda and Pest across the River Danube
Are the only surviving suspension bridges by
William Tierney Clark
Notice there is no church in the above,
somewhat imaginative picture? The town
took its remodelling seriously,
demolished its church and built another!
The Thames could only conceivably be that rough in a hurricane – see photo below.
And unless the bridge has altered the roadway
is more or less flat. Maybe the artist
had not fully grasped the principal of the suspension bridge?
William Tierney Clark also designed the
first Hammersmith Bridge in 1825.
It looks to have had a similar construction.
The Hammersmith Bridge was replaced in 1887.
1832: from Constable Gibbins' diary, at Cookham -
Marlow Bridge is bilt this Somer with cast iron.
1833: The Commissioners bought timber, for lock repairs, from the old bridge which was then demolished
1885: The Royal River, "Who ate the puppy pie under Marlow Bridge?" -
There is a circumstance connected with Great Marlow, beneath the dignity of history indeed,
which, however, as we are writing of the Thames, must not be passed over in silence.
In former days - and perhaps still, for we do not wish to make experimental proof -
the simple and apparently purposeless question,
"Who ate the puppy pie under Marlow Bridge",
sufficed to throw the bargee of the Thames into a state of mind
which could only find adequate expression in words that more than bordered on profanity.
The venom rankling in the taunt is thus explained:-
The landlord of the inn at Medmenham had received private information
that certain bargemen meditated that night a foray on his larder.
He was a humorous man, who had just drowned a litter of young puppies.
So he had their corpses baked in a pie, which he placed in the larder,
and did not sit up to keep guard. The larder was robbed,
the pie was carried off and conveyed to Marlow Bridge,
where the plunderers feasted, as they supposed, on young rabbits.
From the Railway Children by Edith Nesbitt -
"You mustn't take no notice of my Bill," said the woman;
"'is bark's worse'n 'is bite. Some of the kids down Farley way is fair
terrors. It was them put 'is back up calling out about who ate the
puppy-pie under Marlow bridge."
"Who did?" asked Phyllis.
"I dunno," said the woman.
"Nobody don't know! But somehow, and I don't know the why nor the wherefore of it,
them words is poison to a barge-master."
1885: Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames -
...[Marlow Bridge] has acquired a certain notoriety in connection with a "puppy pie",
concerning which succulent pastry there are various traditions:
and "Who ate the puppy pie under Marlow Bridge?" is popularly supposed to be a crushing retort
to any bargee impertinence. ...
For boating purposes, the reaches from Cookham to Marlow and from Marlow to Temple Hurley and Medmenham,
are excellently adapted, and for camping-out purposes there is no more favourite spot on the river
than the Quarry Woods below Marlow. ...
1928: To the Society for the Protection of Ancient Monuments (in the Appendix to A Thames Survey) -
...
Marlow people are very much attached to the old bridge and would like to retain it, but have been given to
understand that the present bridge is too weak and too narrow.
It is proposed to remove the bridge and in its place to put up a reinforced concrete structure
of which designs have been prepared. The drawing of the proposed new bridge bears the name of the
Buckinghamshire County Surveyor. The present bridge belongs to the counties of Bucks and Berks.
(Bucks is said to own four-fifths or seven-eighths.) The design shows a Hennebique bridge
consisting of arched ribs rising well above road level and having the road platform suspended
on concrete hangars made to look like columns. The arch springs from the edges of the towpaths,
thus blocking the passage and, at the same time, reducing headroom for river craft
when near the banks.
The local authorities and Marlow residents have seen the design and many are disgusted with it,
and an appeal has been made to the Royal Fine Arts Commission.
...
The bridge was completed in about 1829, the date 1860 on the cast iron shields at the ends of the cross girders
is the year in which the original oak cross girders were replaced by the present wrought-iron
cross girders. The four main suspension chains, two on each side, and vertical hangar rods
are of wrought-iron. Each chain consists of four links, each measuring approximately 2 5/16 inches
X 2 1/16 inches. The hangar rods are 1 inch square.
The platform is of timber bracing and the parapets at the sides, consisting of timber rails and cast-iron stands,
take the form of braced stiffening girders. The roadway itself consists of a thick layer of tar macadam.
Mr Winfield, Buckinghamshire County Surveyor, with whom I have been in communication,
informs me that the average thickness is 7¼ inches.
The towers forming the support to the chains are in masonry and take the form of arched gateways
of fine proportions. They are said to be founded on piles, but the bed of the river here consists of gravel.
HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE: Apart from the general desire in Marlow to preserve the bridge because of its
appearance and suitability for the site, another reason why every effort should be made to preserve it
is its importance in the history of bridge building, for Marlow Bridge is the only one left of three suspension
bridges built in this country by William Tiernay Clark, F.R.S., who, coming immediately after Telford,
improved on his work and built the first suspension bridges of stiff and lasting construction.
Tiernay Clark was a pupil of Telford and favourite assistant of John Rennie, of Waterloo Bridge fame,
and designed the following suspension bridges:- across the Thames at Hammersmith (span 422 feet 3 inches),
completed 1827, replaced by the current bridge [in 1887] and at Marlow (the bridge now in question)
and across the Arun at Shoreham (280 feet span, replaced by steel bowstring girders in 1922).
With these suspension bridges to his credit, it was to Clark that in 1832 the emissaries from the
City of Pesth came with their unprecedented problem of joining Buda and Pesth with a suspension bridge
across the Danube. Clark's Danube bridge was completed in 1839; it has a span of 666 feet and was in its
day a wonder of the world. It is still in use. Early suspension bridges were not very durable and Marlow
Bridge having been in use for a century is undoubtedly a valuable link in the history of bridge construction,
and seeing that it is in such excellent preservation it should be retained if possible.
PRESENT CONDITION: With the exception of the hand-rail or parapet, which is designed to act as a
stiffening girder, all parts of the bridge which are easily accessible are in excellent condition,
and I saw no sign of corrosion to any appreciable extent in any part. The general alignment of the platform
and uniform rise and camber of the bridge are quite satisfactory ... and there is nothing to suggest
that the bridge has been overstrained or excessively loaded. The parapet stiffening girders composed of
top and bottom rails and diagonals of timber, and cast-iron uprights have got loose at the joints in
some parts and the passage of vehicles produces noticeable movement.
These loose joints only reduce the effectiveness of the parapets as stiffening girders
and could be repaired or replaced without difficulty.
In the two masonry towers some of the voussoir stones of the arches have dropped slightly,
suggesting that there has been movement, but the angle-iron bands put round each tower
above the key-stone level appears to have stopped the movement. The towers in other respects
are sound and appear to be quite upright. Old prints show the towers standing on the river foreshore
but they are now 10 or 12 feet back from the edge of the towing-path on each bank, and are well protected
from scour or other damage from the river. In the towers of Shoreham Bridge Clark put numerous vertical iron
rods to add to the strength, and the Marlow towers, much the same in size and design, are probably
similarly reinforced.
1955: Marlow Church and Bridge, Francis Frith -
1955: Marlow Church and Bridge, Francis Frith
1965: Bridge reconstructed to original design – there had been a move to replace it with a modern design – but this was rejected. There is now a 3 ton weight restriction effectively closing the crossing to commercial traffic.
Marlow Bridge in 1999
Marlow Bridge, Doug Myers © 2005
1888: Bob Shaw, Marlow fisherman in his punt, Henry Taunt -
Marlow fisherman in his punt, Henry Taunt, 1888
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT5873
Marlow Regatta, Henry Taunt, 1888
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT4789
1900s postcard –
Marlow, 1900s postcard
1886: A Marlow Madrigal, J. Ashby-Sterry -
O, BISHAM BANKS are fresh and fair,
And Quarry Woods are green,
And pure and sparkling is the air,
Enchanting is the scene !
I love the music of the weir,
As swift the stream runs down,
For, O, the water’s deep and clear
That flows by Marlow town !
When London’s getting hot and dry,
And half the season’s done,
To Marlow you should quickly fly,
And bask there in the sun.
There pleasant quarters you may find –
The “Angler” or the “Crown”
Will suit you well, if you’re inclined
To stay in Marlow town.
I paddle up to Harleyford,
And sometimes I incline
To cushions take with lunch aboard,
And play with rod and line.
For in a punt I love to laze,
And let my face get brown;
And dream away the sunny days
By dear old Marlow town !
I go to luncheon at the lawn,
I muse, I sketch, I rhyme;
I headers take at early dawn,
I list to All Saints’ chime.
And in the river, flashing bright,
Dull care I strive to drown –
And get a famous appetite
At pleasant Marlow town !
So when, no longer, London life
You feel you can endure;
Just quit its noise, its whirl, its strife,
And try the “Marlow-cure” !
You’ll smooth the wrinkles on your brow
And scare away each frown –
Feel young again once more, I vow,
At quaint old Marlow town !
Here Shelley dreamed and thought and wrote,
And wandered o’er the leas;
And sung and drifted in his boat
Beneath the Bisham trees.
So let me sing, although I’m no
Great poet of renown –
Of hours that much too quickly go,
At good old Marlow town !
In all Ashby-Sterry's Thames poetry this is a rare example in which
he does not introduce some young lady and fall in love with her!
Upstream to Bisham
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS